World news | The Guardian

One thing is clear, the government is very worried about a resurgence of coronavirus in the UKA week is a long time in a coronavirus pandemic – a fact the government has learned all too painfully. Avoiding a one-week delay to lockdown in March would potentially have halved the death toll, it has previously emerged.Which goes some way to explain why there have been not one but two screeching U-turns this week – on travel to Spain and lockdown measures for 4.6 million people in northern England – both announced late into the evening and imposed within hours. The ensuing chaos and anger have been palpable, and all point to one thing: that the government is very, very worried about a resurgence of the virus on UK soil. Continue reading...

Kurdish Iranian journalist is adapting to quietness and isolation of New Zealand after six years of struggleIt’s the middle of the day in a sleepy, affluent suburb of Christchurch and Kurdish Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochani is burning lunch.It has been seven months since he arrived in New Zealand and the subtleties of cooking elude his grasp – and interest. His large house down the road from the University of Canterbury has a bachelor-pad vibe. Books are stacked untidily on every surface, and two broken heaters sit on the floor beside a heat pump turned to max. Continue reading...

High-profile Tory donor and Brexit backer denies indecent assault in 1998Hedge fund manager Crispin Odey has denied indecently assaulting a woman more than 20 years ago.The Tory donor, 61, was charged on 14 May this year over an alleged incident at an address in Chelsea, west London, in 1998. Continue reading...

Follow rules to avoid second national lockdown, warns Boris Johnson. This live blog is now closed - please follow the global coronavirus live blog for latest updates

Met Office expects Friday to reach 35C, and says effect of climate change on UK weather is likely to increase Continue reading...

Environmentalists say the impact of the project will lead to irreversible damageThe broadcaster Chris Packham has lost his case against HS2 in the court of appeal.Environmentalists say the high-speed rail project is leading to irreversible destruction of ancient habitats and woodlands. Continue reading...

So much, yet so little, has happened since early March, not least Grant Shapp’s ruined holidayMondayYou can’t help but feel a little sorry for Grant Shapps’s family. After all, if you can’t trust the transport secretary not to ruin his own holiday, then who can you? Back in April, Grant told the Today programme that he definitely wouldn’t be travelling abroad this summer, but some time between then and last Saturday he must have changed his mind after having negotiated safe “air corridors” between Britain and various countries. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Epstein victim says orgy on late financier’s island was attempt to blackmail princeThe sex offender Jeffrey Epstein allegedly tried to gather incriminating material against Prince Andrew by forcing an underage girl to have sex with him, according to newly released court documents.The papers released by a court in New York say the alleged encounter took place on the late US financier’s private island in the US Virgin Islands. A document claims Epstein instructed the girl, referred to as Jane Doe #3, to “give the prince whatever he demanded and report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse”. Continue reading...

Director who first made his mark in the 1970s and had later hits including Fame and The Commitments, became the chair of the UK Film Council•Peter Bradshaw on Alan Parker: a maker of glorious films with a gift for connecting with audiencesAlan Parker, the British director behind a string of hits including Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and The Commitments, has died aged 76.The news was announced by a representative, who said he had died on Friday “after a lengthy illness”. Continue reading...

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government failed to heed warnings from other countries, writes Giselle Green – it must not do so again. Plus letters from Phil Coughlin, Geoff Naylor, Heather Massie and David WilkinsonInstead of waiting to see which countries experience a surge in coronavirus cases, I would hope that the government is actively looking into the reasons why. Among the factors being blamed for Spain’s spike are “a rush out of lockdown, opening the borders, patchy compliance with physical distancing, and inadequate contact tracing”, with outbreaks emerging from bars and clubs, and seasonal fruit and vegetable pickers (Why are travellers to the UK from Spain being asked to quarantine?, 28 July). With the exception of reopening nightclubs, it appears we are making the same mistakes as our Spanish neighbours. Right at the start of the pandemic we ignored the lessons of other countries, with devastating consequences. Let’s not do so again.

Popular with celebrities, the Instagram trend was intended to draw attention to violence against women in TurkeyFeminists in Turkey have called on the rest of the world not to forget the original context of Instagram’s #challengeaccepted trend, which was supposed to draw attention to skyrocketing rates of gender-based violence in the country before it was co-opted by western celebrities.Femicide, violence against women and so-called “honour” killings are deeply rooted issues in Turkey. Last week, the country was rocked by the brutal killing of Pınar Gültekin, a 27-year-old student, who was allegedly killed by an ex-boyfriend. Continue reading...

PM tells public to ‘wash your hands, cover your face & make space’ to prevent virus spread

Company may have artificially raised share price with ‘false information’ in 2014, says AMFThe French market watchdog has levelled a €5m (£4.5m) fine against the energy giant EDF for misleading investors about the cost of the Hinkley Point C new nuclear project.The regulators found that the French state-owned energy company spread “false information” about its agreement with the UK government to build Britain’s first nuclear reactors in more than 20 years. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Thomas Lishman charged with prominent local figures in ‘landmark human rights case’

Henry Long jailed as two accomplices sentenced to 13 years in young offender institution

Message echoes across continent that pleasures of communal life may soon be sacrificed again

The government’s decision is ‘an assault on fundamental freedoms’, says Hong Kong Watch, as democracy deteriorates

Case goes to UK’s highest court as Home Office appeals decision to let 20-year-old returnThe UK’s highest court is to consider whether Shamima Begum, who left London as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State in 2015, should be allow back into the UK to fight the stripping of her British citizenship.Begum, 20, fled to Syria as a child to assist Isis in its mission to establish a caliphate. She lived under Isis rule for more than three years before she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year. She had already lost two children and the third died shortly after being born. Continue reading...

Author whose novel This Mournable Body was announced as a finalist earlier this week, was held during anti-corruption protests

Health secretary’s late-night announcement provokes ire across political spectrum

Singer’s claim vaccine is being concealed is latest example of stars spreading falsehoods during pandemic

Opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, backed by leaders disqualified from pollTens of thousands of supporters of a Belarusian opposition candidate crowded into a Minsk square on Thursday evening before upcoming elections for what may have been the largest political rally in the country’s modern history.More than 63,000 people attended the event, according to the human rights organisation Viasna, which has sent monitors to the opposition protests. That number would mark it as the “largest in Belarus since 1991”, according to Charter97, a prominent opposition website. Continue reading...

Health authorities say rise is particularly concerning among those aged 20-30

Former Crewe coach is serving 30-year jail term after being convicted of 50 child sexual offences in 2018The convicted child sex offender and former football coach Barry Bennell has pleaded guilty to nine sexual offences.The 66-year-old former Crewe Alexandra coach, also known as Richard Jones, entered the pleas at Chester crown court on Friday via video link from HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire. Continue reading...

Controversial relaxation of gun laws is fuelling fears among experts that moves will add to already shocking levels of violenceFirearms exports from Austria to Brazil have surged by more than 377% in the first half of this year as gun ownership increases under the South American country’s rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro.Official data from Brazil’s trade ministry seen by the Guardian shows the renowned Austrian weapons manufacturer Glock exported more than $14.8m of guns from Austria to Brazil in the first six months of 2020, compared with about $3.1m in the same period last year. Glock is Austria’s sole gun exporter. Continue reading...

Latest updates: how has Covid-19 progressed where you live? Check the week-on-week changes across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandThe map shows local authorities where the number of cases has increased week-on-week and where it has fallen. Some of this is due to natural fluctuations, especially in areas where there are very few cases, and so a rise from 1 to 2 is a doubling. Increased testing also means that more cases may be being detected than previously, although the impact of this between one week and the next is likely to be slight. Continue reading...

There were eight more deaths in Victoria while 21 new coronavirus cases were recorded in New South WalesMultiple doctors in Victoria – some of them early in their careers – are currently in intensive care after contracting Covid-19 at work.An emergency department doctor at Northern Hospital in Melbourne’s outer north is in the hospital’s intensive care unit, in a stable condition, on a day when Victoria recorded 627 new cases of Covid-19 and eight new deaths. Continue reading...

All you need to know about the updated coronavirus measures affecting more than 4m people

In fiery Senate hearing Kathryn Campbell strenuously denies there have been deaths over welfare debt recovery schemeThe public servant who headed the department responsible for the robodebt program has said she does not accept there were any people who took their own lives as a result of the scheme.In the final minutes of a fiery Senate inquiry hearing on Friday, Labor senator Deb O’Neill told parliament “people have died over robodebt”, prompting a strenuous denial from Kathryn Campbell, now the secretary of the Department of Social Services. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron has set a historian to investigate colonial brutality – but yet more evidence is no substitute for actionClarifying the past is a notoriously difficult task at the best of times, but exceptionally so in relation to the intensely bloody history of Algeria.France, its former coloniser, has a long record of covering up the atrocities it committed, so the facts are frequently disputed. This has prolonged anger and resentment among the victims of an imperial adventure that continues to divide the two nations. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison and Daniel Andrews have discussed next steps as eight deaths reported overnight and Covid-19 infections continue to rise. Follow all the latest news and updates, live

Patients on island camps face long wait for specialist help and mental health services, while in Athens others are left destituteIn a fresh blow to refugees and migrants experiencing dire conditions in Greece, frontline medical charity Médecins San Frontières (MSF) on Thursday announced it has been forced to closed its Covid-19 isolation centre on Lesbos after authorities imposed fines and potential charges.From the island of Lesbos to the Greek capital of Athens, asylum seekers and recognised refugees, some with serious medical conditions, are unable to access healthcare or see a doctor as treatments are disrupted by new regulations. Continue reading...

Xinjiang records 112 local transmissions; UN says millions could be forced into poverty in south-east Asia; Indonesia extends restrictions

Reporters for independent outlets, many in rural areas, say pressure won’t deter them from covering embarrassing stories

31 July 1968: The Kray twins, Ronald and Reginald, were referred to by the word “broads, and “red” meant Charles Kray. The word “colony” meant “bank.”Two copies of a code used in the disposal of stolen securities were said to have been found by police searching the New York flat of one of 11 men, including the three Kray brothers, who appeared at Bow Street, London, yesterday.Related: The selling of the Krays: how two mediocre criminals created their own legend | Duncan Campbell Continue reading...

As China comes under attack abroad, nationalist sentiment at home is being stoked – at the expense of other voicesFor days, the US consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu was not just a site for curious onlookers but for residents eager to express pride in their country. Some waved the Chinese flag while others set off fireworks. In one video, a woman said she was “extremely happy” to see the consulate close. “We have kicked out one more hub for spies!” she said, smiling as she pointed at the building.In another video, widely circulated on Chinese social media, a CNN reporter attempting to broadcast is drowned out by a group belting out a patriotic Chinese song. The crowd sings cheerfully, if discordantly: “Praising our beloved motherland as it goes towards prosperity and power.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: British-Australian academic will meet diplomat for first time since sudden move to a new notorious prisonThe imprisoned British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert is set to be granted a meeting with Australia’s ambassador to Iran as soon as Sunday.Following reports in the Guardian that Dr Moore-Gilbert was seriously unwell in Qarchak prison and had been removed from quarantine because she was attempting to write to the ambassador for help, the state-run Mizan news agency reported she was in “perfect health”. Continue reading...

More needs to be done to limit Beijing’s political interference and any short-term damage will be worth it in the long runThis week New Zealand announced it was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as a result of Hong Kong’s new national security law. At the same time, NZ changed its policy on military and dual-use goods and technology exports to Hong Kong, subjecting the city to the same as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The New Zealand government also issued a travel warning to New Zealanders on the risks of travelling to Hong Kong.In a statement, Wellington said it “can no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China.” No explanation was given for the suspension of sensitive technology exports. Continue reading...

Decision to bar pro-democracy candidates is a sign that even moderate dissent will not be toleratedHong Kong’s decision to bar 12 pro-democracy candidates from standing for office sets a sweeping precedent and may signal the end of meaningful political opposition in the city.The group disqualified from contesting upcoming elections to the city’s legislative council include the prominent student activist Joshua Wong but also moderates and four incumbents, such as Alvin Yeung, who represents Hong Kong’s accountants. Continue reading...

In a transcript of his remarks at the congressman’s funeral, the former president calls on Americans to follow Lewis’s lead at a time of crisisRepresentative John Lewis, a legendary civil rights leader and member of Congress, died of cancer on 17 July. In a eulogy at his memorial on Thursday, Barack Obama spoke about Lewis’s legacy, especially the importance of continuing his fight to protect voting rights. This is an abridged version of his remarks.James wrote to the believers: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” Continue reading...

Friday: US president’s tweet suggesting November’s election be delayed rejected by experts and loyalist Republicans. Plus, Full Story on PortlandGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 31 July. Continue reading...

Secretary of state receives bipartisan grilling, and makes false claim to have fought along East German border as soldier in 1980sThe Trump administration’s decision to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany has come under bipartisan attack in the Senate, amid warnings it would disrupt US alliances.Related: Barack Obama praises John Lewis as 'a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance' – live Continue reading...

Move, amid rise in cases in country, follows Labour call on regional ‘travel corridors’

Campaigners blame evictions in Calais for second daily record number of crossings to Britain in a monthFive children have been rescued from the Channel as a record number of migrants reached UK shores.At least 202 migrants managed to cross to Britain on Thursday in a surge of 20 boats, the Home Office confirmed. It is the second time in a month that a new high mark has been set for individuals arriving from Europe via the dangerous Channel route. Continue reading...

Ex-minister faces kidnapping charges for preventing docking of migrant rescue shipsThe Italian senate has voted to lift Matteo Salvini’s immunity from prosecution, clearing the way for possible charges against the far-right former interior minister for refusing to allow 164 migrants to get off a ship in Sicily.The case, from last August, is the third involving a rescue ship standoff in which Italian prosecutors have sought kidnapping charges against Salvini. Continue reading...

There are signs that Beijing recognises Australia’s positions on Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang are based on its own interests

Wary locals are aware of Victoria’s deadly second wave of coronavirus and fear NSW could be heading down the same pathAt the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, down by the water, next to the trophies that say “World sailing youth match racing world championship” and “Sydney-Hobart yacht race record breaker”, there is a sign. It is roughly laminated, and attached with black gaffer tape, and has been up since Tuesday.Joggers scoot past, looking for the entrance to the park, and dog-walkers drag their pets along. “Earlier today, the CYCA was advised an active member of the club and his partner had tested positive for Covid-19,” it says. The line for testing starts a few doors down. Continue reading...